


And the World Lives On

by LittleBlindMuffun



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, F/F, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm tired why did I do this to myself, Lesbian Adora (She-Ra), Lesbian Catra (She-Ra), Season 5 Spoilers, Short One Shot, Slightly - Freeform, i guess?, slight rewrite of Shadow's death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:00:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26506330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleBlindMuffun/pseuds/LittleBlindMuffun
Summary: Every instinct told her to leave, as she set Adora on her feet. Every bone in her body ached to run, escape the pain, don’t get hurt again.If they didn’t do this, Adora would die. They all would. This was their only hope.“Ready?” It wasn’t a question. They didn’t have time for questions.“Yes,” she sounded distant.“Adora,” Catra said. They were so close. And yet...The silence answered her.
Relationships: Catra/Adora
Kudos: 22





	And the World Lives On

**Author's Note:**

> Slight rewrite of SW's death but nothing major.  
> I wrote this at 12 am and just decided to post it cuz why tf not. Please excuse any spelling errors I suc  
> If you think I should add any tags please let me know! Thank you to all who supported me on my last fic :D love you guys, stay safe out there <3

Adora collapsed to her knees, and Catra stared into the room. Her bicolored eyes couldn’t break away from that the spot where Shadow Weaver was standing moments ago. Her heart was beating fast enough to break, and in an instant, it did. The tears running down her cheeks increased tenfold, even though she had yet to catch up with the situation.

“No,  _ no! _ ” Catra screeched, her claws digging into her palms as she ran into the now empty room. She fell to her knees and grabbed at the mask of red and black, her ears pinned back and legs haphazardly sprawled behind her. Her world broke into a millions pieces and she scrabbled to grasp one of the falling shards. Instead of relief, it merely cut into her skin. All she had was this, now? Did she even  _ want _ it?  _ No, _ she thought, but then-  _ wait, yes. She saved me. She saved Adora. _ Well, saving Adora was no surprise. But Catra wasn’t thinking about that now. A maniacal, bitter smile tore at her features and her body sagged. Her claws dug grooves into the floor as she laughed and sobbed for all her worth, her eyes stinging red and chest aching for air. Behind her, Adora didn’t sound much better, but she was much quieter. Not laughing.

But even now, Catra wasn’t  _ happy _ . She had wanted so little from Shadow Weaver - hell, just  _ praise _ \- and she’d gotten it in her mother’s dying moments. Her mother, who raised her, her tormentor, who abused her, and cut her in deeper ways than anyone had. Catra’s ear twitched at the sound of Adora and she choked on her breath, straightening her back and looking behind her, eyes wide. If Shadow Weaver’s death meant anything, it meant that they would get to the heart. Catra grabbed the broken mask and handed it to Adora, who let out a pained noise of confusion. Without a second thought, Catra scooped the blonde into her arms. “Come on,” she said, voice rough from her cries. “We’re getting to that Heart.” There was an edge of anger in her tone, making Adora nearly grimace, but she nodded.

Catra felt Adora lean against her chest as she ran through the long, empty halls. For a moment she thought,  _ these could be Adora’s last moments, too. _ If She-Ra wouldn’t come out, Adora would  _ die. _ How could she loose her mother, abuser, best friend, and lover all in the span of an hour?  _ Hah, _ Catra thought bitterly,  _ with my luck? It’s not unlikely. _ Once they reached the heart, Catra wouldn’t leave Adora’s side. Not now, and not ever. Even if Adora died, Catra would stay with her in every moment. Her nails hit the ground in sharp taps as she ran faster, and Adora’s arms wrapped around her as she held on.

_ Tap, tap, tap. _

_ Adora, I’m sorry. _ She needed to say it. Soon.

_ Tap, tap, tap. _

Each step felt heaver. Why did it always have to be  _ Adora? _

_ Tap, tap, tap. _

Why couldn’t it have been Catra? Catra didn’t enjoy playing hero, but for Adora? Anything.

_ Tap, tap, tap. _

A faint green light ebbed from a room around the corner. They turned and Catra’s heart caught in her throat. She didn’t want this.  _ They _ didn’t want this.

Every instinct told her to leave, as she set Adora on her feet. Every bone in her body ached to run,  _ escape the pain, don’t get hurt again. _ Adora leaned on her, and Catra snapped back into focus. If they didn’t do this, Adora would die. They all would. This was their only hope.

“Ready?” It wasn’t a question. They didn’t have time for questions.

“Yes,” came Adora’s meek reply. She sounded distant. Catra’s heart was racing faster than ever as she lead her best friend forward. They didn’t have time to look around the room, aside from seeing the weapon. Catra’s ears flattened again, each step making her feel worse. This was it. Adora sounded weak and afraid, and tired, and there was no way she’d be able to turn into She-Ra. Especially not with that sickly green wrapping itself around the both of them.

“Adora,” Catra said. They were so close. And yet...

The silence answered her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The planet was  _ alive _ . Not just in the sense that it remained intact, but everything felt so much more free. Orbs of magic were floating around, yellow and warm and so full of  _ light. _ The grass felt greener, the sun seemed to grin at Etheria, and it was smiling right back. And in the bustling warzone came  _ screams. _

Joy, love, awe, interest,  _ hope. _ The world went from a future wasteland on a serene paradise. At least, for now. Nothing can last forever, but this was enough.

Catra and Adora were the last ones to the party, but as soon as they were seen, they- Adora, at least- was hugged and praised and flooded with questions. Catra had been nagged by a few, but she quickly reunited with Melog and they slipped under a cloak of invisibility for the time being. The magicat wasn’t exactly a fan of crowds.

Eventually, it all died down. There was so much to take care of, but they were allowed to breathe. They weren’t sure what would happen with all of the clones, but that was a question for another night. They’d all been dragged on an emotional rollercoaster, and each solider was aching down to their bones with exhaustion. The duo was no exception.

“So,” a pale hand placed itself on Catra’s shoulder. “You’re coming back with us, right? To live in Bright Moon?”   
Catra’s eyes widened, even if Adora couldn’t see. But Adora did notice the way she tensed up.

“Catra-” she began, and Catra waved a hand, cutting her off.

“No, no. I don’t exactly have a choice, I know.” She turned around and looked at Adora. Misty eyes twinkled back at her with a soft, almost nervous smile. Catra took her hand. “And I guess… I do miss you. A little.” She quirked an eyebrow. “As long as you don’t sleep fight me again.”

Adora’s face flushed and she laughed. “What?  _ No, _ never! That’s crazy, Catra.”

The magicat resisted letting out a fond purr. She tried not to do it so much in public, but with Adora, it was all too tempting. “Then, of course.”

Adora and Catra looked over to their group of friends. The sun was finally setting and they needed to get back to their old camp. “Hey, Perfuma!” Adora waved, beckoning the plant princess over.

“Yes?” Perfuma answered upon her arrival, sounding a bit sickly-sweet but otherwise kind.

Adora gave Catra a look, so the magicat glared back before clearing her throat. Perfuma’s eyes widened a little in surprise.

“So,” Catra started, arms wrapped protectively around herself, her cheeks turning red under the thin layer of fur. Her eyes were planted to the ground. “Adora was telling me how you’re some… brain doctor?”

Adora facepalmed and chuckled. “A therapist.”

Perfuma’s eyes widened more, but now there was also a smile on her face, wary and gentle.  _ Patronizing, _ if you asked Catra.

Catra rolled her eyes and tapped her foot. “Yeah, that. And she said that it might be good if we-” Adora gave her a look and Catra returned it, “yes,  _ we, _ because she’s not making me do this alone- try it out.”

Adora gave a huff but nodded. “Yeah, just for a few days, at least? I know you’ve explained it to me,” Adora chuckled nervously, “buuut I sort of forgot what it… is.”

Perfuma smiled and shook their hands. “Adora, Catra,” she grinned, “of course we can try therapy, for both of you. We’ll talk about all this later, okay?” She said. The two nodded and were called over by the others to start leaving, along with the soldiers.

As Perfuma left, Adora sent Catra a smile. “That wasn’t so bad. You’re a jerk for dragging me into it, though.”

Catra shrugged and gave a lazy smile in return, letting her arms fall to her sides. “Whatever, you need it to, princess.”

Adora rolled her eyes at the nickname, but decided to change the subject. It took her a few moments to get the words out.

“So… are you keeping the mask?”

Catra tensed and her ear flicked, tip of her tail lashing. But she tried to seem unbothered. “Well, yeah. Just in case? I don’t know. Felt wrong to leave it.” She sighed. “Melog is holding onto it for me.” Catra’s eyes darted towards Adora’s and she swallowed. “When- when we get back to Bright Moon… can it just be you and me, for a while?” She sounded timid, and she cursed herself for it.

Adora, seemingly oblivious to what Catra’s tone conveyed, nodded. “Sure! Of course. I think we all deserve a lazy day before we jump into repairing the world.”

Catra nodded, and they slowly caught up to the rest of the travelling group.

Looking up, Catra stared at the stars. They shined back at her, and she gave up on hiding her little smile.  _ Okay, _ she thought.  _ I can live like this. _


End file.
